Navigation
Méditerranée
Navigation
Diaporama
Navigation
Le Mourillon-Staying 'Hip' for a whole century
Le Mourillon is a little port on the eastern edge of the bay. These days it is 'the place to be' in the Toulon area. But it wasn't always so. Up to the 18th century, there were just a few little houses, a cemetery and a gunpowder factory, surrounded by gardens and vineyards. In the 18th century, it became a timber storage area for the warships that were being built in Toulon. Only in the 19th century did the area really turn into a residential neighbourhood, with Navy officers moving in. This little industrial area rapidly turned into a chic neighbourhood. The officers had posh new houses built for their families, with exotic trees in the gardens, a souvenir of their overseas expeditions.
Authors such as Alexandre Dumas and Gustave Flaubert enjoyed the charm and relaxed lifestyle of the area. Underwater explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau contributed to Le Mourillon's renown by deciding to stage his first experimental dive here in 1936.
These days, the neighbourhood has the greatest concentration of antique shops in the city - a sure sign of wealth. Trendy pubs and eating places are two a penny.
Another key to the area's popularity is the large artificial beaches created in the early 1970s. They are a place for swimmers, but also for the city's youth to hang out on a balmy summer's night. Walkers strolling through the area will notice a small exotic park that was created in 1898. It boasts several exotic species, including the Phoenix palm from the Canary islands, the dwarf palm and the Australian Blackwood in a 8,000 sq m (2 acre) site.
